00:50
Ukrainian military personnel from one of the battalions of the territorial defence displaced the Russians and reached the state border with Russia in the Kharkiv region.
01:45
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has claimed that Ukraine “can win this war” with the Russian Federation as the Kremlin’s strategic goals have failed.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is not going as Moscow had planned. It failed to capture Kyiv, and they (occupiers – ed.) are pulling back from Kharkiv. Their major attack on the Donbas has stalled,” he said.
02:15
In the Odesa region, two naval anchor mines of the invaders, carried close to the coast by stormy weather, were removed and destroyed by specialists of the demolition team of the Ukrainian Navy.
04:35
In the temporarily occupied Energodar, the occupiers dug trenches along the entire perimeter of the Zaporizhzhya NPP and placed sandbags, concrete blocks and other engineering barriers, Energoatom reported. Employees of the Zaporizhzhya NPP were forbidden to come to work with mobiles.
07:15
Explosions were heard in Mykolaiv in the morning, Mayor Alexander Senkevich reported.
08:40
At least 229 children have already been killed and more than 421 others were injured because of Russia’s full-scale armed aggression in Ukraine, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office. However, the agency emphasizes that this number is not final, as work to identify victims is ongoing in places of active hostilities and in the temporarily occupied and liberated territories.
09:00
The sounds of explosions were heard in Odessa. Air defence is probably operating, according to Dumskaya. The outlet also reports that a recreation centre in the Odesa region has been damaged, and smoke is visible in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district.
A spokesman for the Odesa Regional Military Administration confirmed the shelling of the Odesa region. He says that details are being specified.
10:00
Based on preliminary information, two adults were injured because of a missile strike in the Odesa region and a small child was gravely injured. This was reported by the Telegram channel of the Odessa City Council citing the operational command “South”.
The tourist infrastructure was damaged, buildings were destroyed and a fire broke out. Also, the Russians continue to attack the damaged bridge across the Dniester Estuary, which is not working anyway.
11:15
On the morning of May 16, the border areas of Chernihiv and Sumy regions were shelled again from the territory of Russia. In addition, saboteurs tried to enter the Sumy region.
12:00
In Yevpatoria on the night of May 16, Crimean partisans painted the building of the Russian occupation administration in the colours of the state flag of Ukraine, informs the State Border Guard Service.
13:25
Ukraine has signed a $ 100 million loan agreement with Japan (13 billion yen). The funds will be used to support the most vulnerable groups.
14:10
The European Commission is preparing a conclusion on Ukraine’s application to join the EU. The European Union has received all Ukraine’s answers to the EU questionnaire, said EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi. “EU stands with Ukraine to mitigate the impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine. All replies to EU questionnaire received. Now Commission is preparing Opinion for Council on Ukraine’s application to the EU,” Varhelyi wrote.
15:15
Relatives of Mariupol defenders are asking Xi Jinping to influence the humanitarian situation in the city and help in extracting the fighters.
16:20
Russia may prepare a provocation using prisoners and chemicals.
17:15
Putin is threatening NATO in case of expansion of its military infrastructure. “The expansion of military infrastructure in this area will certainly trigger our response. It will depend on the threats toward us. We will respond accordingly,” Russian propaganda quoted Putin.
18:05
Magdalena Andersson, the Swedish Prime Minister, said the government has announced its intention to apply for NATO membership. “The government has decided to inform NATO that Sweden wants to become a member of the alliance. Sweden’s NATO ambassador will shortly inform NATO,” Andersson said.
19:00
The General Staff reports that the Russians have focused their efforts on the Donetsk direction.
19:40
The General Staff says that the enemy is preparing for an offensive near Izium. “The enemy continues to conduct offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone. The enemy focuses its efforts on the Donetsk direction. In the Slobozhansky direction, it is trying to contain the advance of the Defense Forces north of Kharkiv city and prevent them from reaching the State Border of Ukraine. The enemy is preparing for the attacks using the units concentrated in the area of Izium,” the statement says.
20:40
The commander of the Azov Regiment, Denys Prokopenko, has reported that the unit had accomplished its task and hopes for the support of the Ukrainian people. The defenders recalled that they had allowed the Ukrainian army to regroup, train more troops and receive a large number of weapons from international partners.
21:10
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, claimed that the country does not support the desire of Sweden and Finland to become members of NATO. The Turkish leader called Sweden a “breeding ground for terrorism“.
21:30
According to Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, the Union does not recognize any captured square kilometres as part of Russia. “We will not recognise a single square kilometre of Ukrainian land taken by the Russians, just as we did not recognise Crimea as part of Russia. We will not recognise any part of Ukraine being claimed as part of the Russian Federation. We defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine and when we say that we hope Ukraine will win this war, it means that they (Ukrainians – ed.) will be able to drive the invader beyond their borders,” Borrell said.
21:30
Adviser to the President’s Office Oleksiy Arestovych said on the national telethon that Volodymyr Zelensky could make a statement on the situation around Azovstal.
21:55
Reuters has published the first footage of the evacuation of seriously injured Azov fighters.
